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The use of activated carbon to remove harmful impurities like organic contaminants from water has been practiced since Roman times. Activated carbon is a carbonaceous adsorbents with extensively developed internal pore structure. Activated carbon is extremely porous with a very large surface area, which makes it a powerful adsorbent material. This large surface area relative to the size of the actual carbon particle makes it easy to remove large amounts of impurities in a relatively small enclosed space. An approximate ratio of surface area is one square meter per gram. The two mechanisms by which the chemicals are adsorbed onto activated carbon are either it ‘dislikes’ water or it attracts…

Indoor air quality can be as much of a health concern as the air quality outdoors. Things like volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide, mold and other compounds can cause things like headaches, fatigue, respiratory illnesses and worse. The EU has started to focus on how to combat indoorpollution and is funding a new project that would allow people to have real-time air quality information wherever they are — at home, at work, even in the car. The project aims to “develop new nanotechnology-based sensor systems that will precisely monitor the composition of the air in terms of both chemical and bio contaminants.” It is designed to be both tiny and low cost so that…

The global water crisis has inspired innovative ideas for conserving water — or finding filtered to remove any salt, bacteria and other textile bits — and guess what, tasty drinking water! Would you like to try?

A two-decade study that looked at 2,000 kids in 5 cities in Southern California was recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Its results remind us once again of the importance of clean air. After all, air is now the world’s biggest environmental health risk with 7 million deaths per year. The researchers found the relationship between the decline of air pollution in the region since the early 1990s and the “statistically and clinically significant improvements” in children’s lung function and growth. In fact, the number of school-age kids with “abnormally low lung faction” dropped by more than half between the 1994-1998 group (7.9% with abnormally low lung function) and the most recent…

I used to spend my afternoon around outdoor cafes until the other day, when I was trying to enjoy my Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino that I realized I was surrounded by smokers. I couldn’t ask them to stop since it was a smoking-permitted area. But perhaps I should have anyway by telling them secondhand smoke kills more than 600,000 lives each year around the world. This is accountable for 1 percent of all deaths. More sadly, 40 percent of children regularly are exposed to secondhand smoke and that more than 30 percent of non-smoking men and women are too. Here’s I provide detailed figures associated with passive smoking: -379,000 deaths…

When we think of salt, we think of it as a seasoning. But for an Iranian restaurant group, salt was the main material for a new kind of eco-friendly building. The “Salt” Restaurant of Shiraz is located in the southern Iran, where the walls, tables and even the stairs were covered with a salty coating. To our surprise, this layer of salt helps clean the polluted air of the city. Inspired by local and naturally occurring salt caves of the region, the group wanted to create a design that reflected the area’s distinctive salt mines and Marharloo salt lake of Shiraz. They stated, “In this particular case, the walls, structural…

Have your tried water that’s been left overnight, or even for another day? How do you think about the taste? Treated water’s added chlorine that takes care of microorganisms, but at room temperature they begin to multiply rapidly and can really get the things crazy. But that’s not what makes old water taste stale. For that we can thank carbon dioxide. After about 12 hours tap water starts to go flat as carbon dioxide in the air starts to mix with the water in the glass, lowering its pH and giving it an off taste. But it’s most likely safe to drink. However, back to those microorganisms. Be careful if…

Cleaning products are everywhere in our homes and offices: on dishes, furniture, clothes, floors, windows, and floating through the air. This may sound bizarre, but in our war on dirt and germs we may often actually be making things worse. Most of the conventional cleaning products we all grew up with are petroleum-based and have dubious health and environmental implications. Instead of opting for cleaning products that annihilate everything in their path, there are plenty of natural products and methods that keep a house clean and fresh without the toxic side effects. Employ green cleaning products As conventional cleaning products have become more thoroughly investigated, more and more brands of…

We already knew that air pollution killed more people than AIDS and malaria combined, but sadly the problem isn’t always getting the attention it deserves. So it’s good to see that someone finally pinpointed the seriousness of the problem: World Health Organization (WHO), who last year recognized that diesel exhaust can causes lung cancer. This means that air pollution is now categorized along with tobacco smoke, UV radiation and plutonium. This research on cancer is different from previous research that showed air pollution to cause heart disease and lung problems. “The air we breathe has become polluted with a mixture of cancer-causing substances,” says Dr Kurt Straif, Head of the IARC (International…

Are you one of those urban dwellers? Air quality has been improving over time in many cities. For example, Japan is almost synonymous with clean air. But unfortunately, while some places are getting better, more others are getting worse, especially as a larger percentage of humanity is moving to urban areas every year. Let’s just see the fact: air pollution now kills more people every year than malaria and AIDS combined and that according to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution now the world’s biggest environmental health risk with 7 million deaths per year. The WHO has created database that contains results of ambient (outdoor) air pollution monitoring from…

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The new and innovative way to arrange for Smoking Lounge inside or outside buildings. Relocation is possible. You can make the smoke cabin bigger/smaller and even move it to another location if neded.

Why use a traditional Smoking Lounge with (mostly) poor ventilation and no filtration, and that would also need frequent refurbishing. Forget about cleaning carpets, curtains and to paint the walls/ceiling to cover the yellow stain from tobacco. Be modern and practical – save some money! / save your money!